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JLMH’s Open House is Thursday, July 4th from 11am-3pm! Come to the Joel Lane House for a free event with kids crafts and demonstrations. The historic Lane House will be open to walk through.
The Joel Lane House, also known as Wakefield, was built in 1769 and is now a restored historic home and museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is the oldest dwelling in Wake County and contains collections of 18th century artifacts and period furnishings.
Currently owned by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina, the Joel Lane House was built circa 1769, in what was then a very rural part of North Carolina. This restored-to-period plantation manor house was once deemed “the best house in 100 miles”.
To bring American history to life by providing a rich understanding of regional North Carolina history and the struggles, sacrifices, and achievements of all those who lived in Piedmont North Carolina in the 18th century, with particular emphasis on the life and times of Colonel Joel Lane, his family, and the 43 people enslaved on his plantation.
The gambrel-roofed home of Colonel Joel Lane has been restored to its 1790-1795 appearance by the Wake County Committee of the Colonial Dames. Colonel Lane became known as the "Father of Raleigh" after he sold a thousand acres of land to the state in 1792 to establish a permanent state capital here. Tours available.
The Joel Lane House in Raleigh, named "Wakefield" by owner Joel Lane in honor of colonial governor William Tryon's wife, Margaret Wake, was built in the 1760s. Lane did major remodeling in the 1790s, including the addition of a front porch and alteration of the roof shape from gable to gambrel.
Built in 1769, this landmark is Wake County’s oldest home. It became the “Birthplace of N.C.’s Capital” when Joel Lane sold 1,000 acres to the state in 1792 for the new capital. The site includes two other historic buildings and a museum store.
